Wednesday, December 23, 2015

In praise of box sets

I'm an unabashed fan of boxed sets. I've discovered so many authors and so many phenomenal stories from boxed sets. In addition to that, I've been able to participate in some amazing boxed set releases.
What's not to like? Whether the stories are based around a theme, a shared universe, or unrelated, I find boxed sets to be the gift that keeps on giving.

With a group like the Naughty Literati, you have authors from all different walks of writing life. Some of the authors have been published other than romance exclusively, while others are erotic romance stalwarts. The thing that initially brought us together was the fact that we were all signed to publishing contracts with Ellora's Cave. We all write in different genres, all specialize in stories of different lengths and themes. As a result, the Naughty Literati stories are a cornucopia of unforgettable characters and beautiful love stories. Yes, I'm a fan. J

Even if hard pressed, I wouldn't be able to choose a favorite anthology. I love them all. What are some of your favorite stories? Characters? Do you have a favorite Naughty Literati release? And what about those covers! Do you have a favorite?


Happy Holidays!

Alexa

Monday, December 21, 2015

Christmas Memories by Charlotte Boyett~Compo

We never had snow in SoWeGa (southwest Georgia) when I was growing up. It rarely got below freezing even on the coldest day in January. There might have been a gentle layer of frost on the grass to make it sparkle in the sunshine but there was no fleecy blanket of white covering the ground.

Not that I missed it. I'd heard 'bad' things about snow: hazardous driving, roofs collapsing under its weight, people getting lost in a snowstorm and freezing to death.  I wasn't all that keen on any of those things happening to my family or someone we knew.

But it would have been nice...just once...to see snow on Christmas morning if for no other reason to be able to say that it had come to visit.

As far back as I can remember, the first Christmas present I received was a brown and gold teddy bear I might have named Smoky. I say 'might' have. Chances are good my mother named him for me from the Smoky the Bear commercials on tv. Knowing me, it doesn't sound like a name I would have picked. As I write this...somewhere around 62+ years later...I'm looking at Smoky. He's a little worse for wear because he was...and is...dearly loved. He was missing one eye for years until I found one in a craft shop in Branson, MO. The eye doesn't quite match but it wiggles like his original eye and in my mind, he can see better now.

What I remember most about the Christmases of my youth wasn't so much the presents or the lack of finding the pony I wanted tied up out in front of the house. It was going with my mother to deliver baskets to the needy.  Every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas she would put together food baskets for the poor people in our county.  On Christmas, she always added a toy for each child in the family. It was important to her and it was important that she take me...her only child...with her so I, too, could develop a social conscience. You really can't understand poverty until you have seen it in rural Georgia. If you can visit the dilapidated, shotgun house of a family striving to live hand to mouth without adequate food, heat and clothing and not be touched, there is something intrinsically wrong with you.

One Christmas we visited the home of one of my classmates. Seven children, a mother and father, and two uncles lived in a little two room shack that had only a fireplace for heat. Cooking was done on an old wood burning stove and there was no running water, no bathroom in the house. A trip to the outhouse in freezing weather must have been hell for those poor people.

As we were stepping off their ramshackle porch I caught sight of their old coon dog lying on the ground. Beside him was a box full of little amber bottles--at least a hundred or more of them.  I recognized those bottles because my mother always kept one in her pocketbook and a couple in the medicine cabinet at home because she sometimes got 'a touch nervy'. Those bottles contained paregoric, a camphorated tincture of opium (not to be confused with laudanum which is tincture of opium). Back then you could buy it over-the-counter at any drug or grocery store. It wasn't regulated and the stores sold a lot of it, I'm sure.  Mama used to give it to me if I got a stomach ache and it tasted like s&*t.  It was highly addictive, by the way.

When we got in the car I told my mother there must be a lot of 'nervy' people in that family. I will never forget the look she gave me when she turned her face to me. There was deep, deep sadness in her blue eyes.

"No, baby, there are a lot of addicts in that family and that's why those poor kids had no gifts for Christmas. Their menfolk don't work. They just get welfare and use the money for the paregoric."

That was my first introduction to drugs and to the harm they could do. To have learned that on Christmas Day has never left me. I think of all the little children out there who won't receive presents this year because their father or mother or custodian spent the money on themselves to buy drugs so they can escape reality. Unfortunately, those poor children can't escape the reality.

If there was one thing I would wish for Christmas this year or any other is the same thing my mother ALWAYS wished every Christmas morning: "May every child get at least one present today."

This Christmas, may your wish be the same. Childhood doesn't last long. Some children never experience it.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Christmas Playlist from a Confirmed Atheist by Suz deMello

I love Christmas. I may love Christmas more than many Christians, for whom the season represents the mega-stress of choosing the perfect gifts and cooking the perfect meal in the perfectly decorated home. As an atheist from a Jewish family, I'm free to admire store displays without worrying about if such-and-such a present for so-and-so is too expensive or too chintzy. I love to drive around and enjoy other people's light shows without having to participate out of a sense of duty. I'm apt to whistle or hum my favorite Christmas tunes to the dismay of my British mother, who informed me a few minutes ago while we were waiting for a table for lunch, that whistling is "not lady-like." (Oddly, she seems to forget that boat left the dock a long while back).

Jazz Christmas carols are my fave, and play almost continually between Thanksgiving and New Year's, the proper time for celebrating the Yule. I do not like to walk into Target in October to see aisles so festooned with Christmas decor that it looks like Santa vomited. All holidays deserve their due, Halloween and Thanksgiving in their season.

While I often stream Pandora in my computer or cellphone, I also have a Christmas playlist, and here it is:

--Dido: Christmas Day
--Diana Krall: Christmas Time is Here
--John Denver: Coventry Carol
--Barenaked Ladies: Green Christmas. My favorite snarky Christmas song--this is the song I was whistling. When Mom objected to that, I started to hum and sing. Tee-hee-hee. Annoying one's parents never grows old :)
--Luther Vandross: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
--London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir: Hallelujah Chorus, from Handel's Messiah (In my not very humble opinion, one of the greatest artworks ever created).
--John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Happy Christmas (War is Over)
--A couple of selections by different artists from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet
--Dave Brubeck: What Child is This?
--Tony Elman: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
--Bruce Springsteen: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
--Joni Mitchell: River
--Kenny G: Medley with We Three Kings and Carol of the Bells
--Judy Collins: The Holly and the Ivy


So enjoy the music while reading our latest offering, Naughty Chances--Take a Chance on Romance
Find it here for a low low price of 99 cents:

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

How did it get to be December?

How did it get to be December? I swear it's only August. I just blinked and boom I hear Chicago singing Jingle Bell Rock on the radio! Hate it when that happens. Not hearing Chicago, but having the end of the year rush toward me so fast I feel like I'm driving Doc Brown's DeLorean.

One thing about December, though, is it's time for me to take stock in what I've accomplished this year. I wrote and published two stories with the Naughty Literati. Blue Plate Special came out in Naughty Flings and then Moon Dance made its first appearance in Naughty Escapes. I'd intended to have a new story in that universe ready for Naughty Reunions but the story just didn't pan out. Nothing wrong with the story itself just that it didn't fit the theme and trying to make it fit nearly broke my brain. I've been ripping out all the seams and rewriting it properly. I've got my fingers crossed that it'll be ready for the first anthology of 2016. So far it's had more names than Liz Taylor. At the moment I'm thinking of it as The School Teacher and the Rock Star. We'll see if that sticks. As for next year's Naughty Literati releases, we've got some great themes in store for 2016.

I really wanted a story in Naughty Reunions. That is a kickass anthology, as is Naughty Chances which released this month. I'm constantly blown away by the talented writers who make up the Naughty Literati. Sharing a table of contents with any of these authors is a high honor.

I also wrote and sold two stories to Dreamspinner Press this year. Lodestone is an m/m, science fiction paranormal story. I'm dying to get more of Alchemy and Nicholai's story out there. I love the universe and have another story, with different characters, underway, but it's a long one and may not even see submission until sometime next year. My other Dreamspinner release is The Stonemason in the Bare Studs anthology. That was one of those stories that seemed to write itself…while at the same time I sweated blood getting it out. It's also a rare, for me, standalone.

2015 has been a bit of a mixed bag for me. I launched Yet Another Penname (that would be Terry), moved, started three new universes, got bogged down in a story, broke free, sold to a brand new to me market, started ghostwriting (it's so much fun!) and have edited a few terrific novels that I wish I'd written. There have been many ups and downs, but I think the ups outweigh the downs.

I have plans for 2016, and if even half of them come to fruition, I'll have some terrific stories for you.

Hope you all have a lovely holiday season, no matter what you celebrate, or if you celebrate nothing at all.

Keep calm and read!

Terry Rissen

Monday, December 14, 2015

Meet Santa's Brother, Rocky Claus!



So who's prancing around on your rooftop? Meet Rocky Claus, Santa's younger brother. Santa decided that Rocky would visit all GOOD ladies this year so Santa could concentrate on the kiddies.
Rocky is so-o-o looking forward to fitting down your chimney so he can give you one, or two, or three, or more...wonderful presents...but only if you've been "GOOD" all year!

Did you write to Santa yet? Be sure to tell him if you've been GOOD and mention how you'd like Rocky to slide down your chimney for some fun! Remember to address your letter to the North Pole...although Rocky spends his time sunning himself in warmer climates so has a wonderful tan!

My letter's been mailed and I KNOW Rocky will fit down my chimney without a problem since I've been getting it ready for his visit. I even bought a cute red sheer nightie to wear that has white trim around the bottom. And with Rocky's red hat with white trim, we should compliment each other. Rocky likes to wear that hat...and nothing else...so he can present an uplifting holiday image. Plus, clothes just get in the way and make it more difficult for him to slide up and down your chimney.

Hurry, ladies. Get those letters mailed today to be put on Rocky's list. You wouldn't want him to miss your chimney, would you?

HO, HO, HO! Happy Holidays!




http://www.mariannestephens.net
http://www.romancebooks4us.com

Entice Me - Luscious Love Stories Anthology
My story: Operation Man Hunt
Blurb:
Chris Carlisle needs a man and Tony Davis becomes her goal. He learns the hidden reason for her enticing attempts to capture his attention. Both can't deny the mutual, lusty attraction. Will true love follow?

 







Naughty List - Thirteen Naughty Holiday Stories (Anthology) from Amazon Bestselling Authors
My story: Dear Santa...I Want a Man for Christmas 
Blurb: Frustrated with untrustworthy men, Melissa orders a man doll. When delivery guy, Nick, shows up, she has second thoughts about how to satisfy her needs. 


BUY LINK
 









 Photo: rockshots.com

Monday, December 7, 2015

Emeralds to protect you


My birthstone is an amethyst. Amethysts are pale and pretty, but I’ve always preferred more vibrant colors. Sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. Especially emeralds. There’s no prize for guessing my favorite color is green.

A little while ago I wrote a series of three books, the Gemstone Romances. Each romance story featured a different gemstone which was pivotal to the romance. In the first book, “Courage and Comfort” the two heroes had to find an aquamarine to bring courage and comfort to Edmund’s tragically widowed sister, Mavis.

But in “Protecting You” the heroine, AJ, finds three stones right near the start of the book. The problem is, she’s hopelessly in love with a man already in a relationship with someone else, and she would never break up a relationship. AJ has the three stones she’s found, but can’t figure out the meaning of them.

One of the stones is an emerald. For hundreds of years emeralds have been considered to bring health and protection to those who have them. Because of their innate healing abilities, emeralds can protect the wearer from poisons, physical danger, and mental distress. By increasing a person’s innate psychic abilities, the emerald enhances their decision making powers and increases their energy.

AJ is psychic. She’s the one who knew finding the aquamarine in the first book would help Mavis. But she doesn’t understand the meaning of the emerald, the onyx, and the piece of amber which she has found herself.

The emerald AJ has found is at the heart of what her future will be. Only a stone as powerful as an emerald could be tough enough to deal with a strong woman like AJ.

“Protecting You” by Berengaria Brown:
AJ has psychic abilities and knows Drew is her soul mate. But bisexual Drew flits from partner to partner. At the moment he’s with Kristien, and Kristien is very much in love with Drew. AJ can’t bear the thought that the only way for her to achieve happiness is to break Kristien’s heart.
She invites them both to join her and her friends at the beach for a few days, hoping to get closer to Drew. A rocky wall calls to her, and when she climbs up, she explores a cave and is led to three stones—an onyx, an emerald, and amber.
What do they mean?

Buy Links: http://www.evernightpublishing.com/protecting-you-by-berengaria-brown/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Protecting-You-Gemstone-Romances-Book-ebook/dp/B00KR2HG2G
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-protectingyou-1532693-145.html

Sometimes my characters just don't listen to me! They wander off and do their own thing instead of following my plot outline. "Protecting You" is part of the "Gemstone Romances" series. In fact, it's book 2. Both the first and third books are MM romances, but no, AJ is a woman and it appears it takes two men to protect her from what happens next.

The "Gemstone Romances", "Courage and Comfort", and book 3, "A Rainbow of Happiness", aren't my only MM romances. I have an MM story in the latest Naughty Literati boxed set.


Here's a taste of "Perfectly Presented" which is part of "Naughty Chances".
Excerpt, Perfectly Presented by Berengaria Brown

Blake stood and walked behind Xavier’s chair, resting his hands gently on Xavier’s shoulders, and then massaging them. Xavier felt his tight muscles loosen a little as Blake’s fingers dug into the tense tissues, working on the knots, Blake’s thumbs pressing and rolling into each bump.
Xavier rotated his neck and head, and then leaned forward, relaxing into Blake’s firm touch. “Hmm, that feels good.”
Blake moved his hands around, pressing and working all the stiff areas until there were no hard lumps left. His hands stilled momentarily before he slid them down Xavier’s back and up under his sweater and shirt. They glided over the taut back muscles, up Xavier’s spine and around over his sides, down, then up again. This time his fingers moved around to the solid chest wall.
Blake’s fingers stilled over Xavier’s nipples, the firm little discs already standing to attention.
Xavier stood, turned into Blake’s arms, and wrapped his own around Blake. “Maybe it’s time to move this party into the bedroom?” The two men were almost the same height, a mere fraction under six feet, so Xavier tilted his head to the side to kiss his friend.
The kiss was sweet and gentle, a brief butterfly touching of lips to lips, until Blake grabbed Xavier’s head and held it still so he could lick along the seam of Xavier’s mouth. As Xavier opened up, Blake’s tongue slid inside, teasing and tasting and testing. First along the insides of his cheeks, then behind his teeth, and finally to tangle and dance with Xavier’s tongue.
Blake’s fingers burrowed into Xavier’s black hair where it curled on his collar at the back of his neck.
Blake stroked the neck underneath the curls, angling the other man’s mouth more fully over his own, then sucked Xavier’s tongue into his own mouth.
When they finally drew apart, both men were panting, not just from lack of oxygen, but also from the power and passion of their kisses.
Blake pulled Xavier hard against him from hips to chest, his arms like steel bands around the other man. Their cocks rubbed against each other, two long, hard ridges, their heat obvious even through the layers of clothing. “Want you. Need you,” he whispered.
“Hell, yeah. I want you, too.”


Naughty Chances Buy Link: http://tinyurl.com/NaughtyChances

Berengaria Brown
Blog: http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/berengaria-brown
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Berengaria-Brown/e/B00541R3YQ/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berengaria.brown?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BerengariaBrown
ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Berengaria+Brown


Sunday, December 6, 2015

My Favorite Christmas Things

The Naughty Chances anthology is now available – click here!  It includes my Christmas story, Sophie’s Christmas Gargoyle.  Most people don’t automatically thing “gargoyle” when we talk about Christmas, but for some reason I do.  This is actually my second Christmas gargoyle story. The first one, A Gargoyle’s Christmas, is currently out of print, but I hope to have it available again before next Christmas. In the meantime, you can get your Christmas gargoyle fix from the story in Naughty Chances, along with lots of other terrific winter and holiday set tales.

Why gargoyles at Christmas?  I have no idea. I set up the trope in my first story that gargoyles can only take human form during the short days before and after the winter solstice, which makes them naturals for the season. Why did I do that?  I don’t know. It just seemed like a cool idea and was a great way to build tension to the stories. The person who loves them has to be able to show they love them just as they are before the gargoyle can become fully human year-round.

So, now, a few of my other favorite holiday things:

  • Outdoor light displays: the bigger, gaudier, more raucous the better!
  • Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks: I have to limit myself to only a couple per season, but it’s a favorite treat.
  • Chocolate chip cookies –  I once asked my mom for the recipe for her chocolate chip cookies, and she handed me a package of Nestle’s morsels, pointed to the back, and said, “There it is” Dang those are good!
  • Candles, especially scented ones.
  • Wrapped presents under the tree. It’s all about the anticipation.
  • Watching my kids and now my grandkids unwrapping those presents.  The excitement and enthusiasm is so contagious.


What are your holiday favorites?

Thursday, December 3, 2015

NaNoWriMo 2015 Winner! by Regina Kammer

Once again I am a NaNoWriMo Winner!

This was my 10th year participating in National Novel Writing Month. I wrote the foundations of The Viscount and the Veteran: An American Federalist Tale, the follow-up novel to The General’s Wife: An American Revolutionary Tale.

If you can't wait until The Viscount and the Veteran is completed, edited, submitted, and published and need your bisexual male/male romance fix now, I've got you covered with "Winter Interlude: An American Revolutionary Novelette" my story in The Naughty Literati's Naughty Chances: Take A Chance On Romance. "Winter Interlude" is a companion piece to The General’s Wife: An American Revolutionary Tale, delving into the relationship between Captain Samuel Taylor and Lieutenant Patrick Hamilton.

So what did I learn this year during NaNoWriMo 2015?

- It’s always best to end a day’s writing session with notes about what comes next.
Corollary comment: It is so great when the writing flows and a scene comes together, characters are changed, plot moved forward. But the previous night’s victory is dampened by the looming realization the next morning that, OMG, you have no idea what happens next.

- I really, really, really need to tamp down the inner editor. I try to by putting stuff I need to research or edit in [square brackets] and forgetting about it. It doesn’t always work.

- I am a combination of plotter and pantser: perhaps the word is “plotser” or “pantster”. But I do need that next-morning crutch of what comes next. So the pantser needs a plot plan, even if that plot plan is formulated a minute after the pantsing has finished.

- 50,000 words is basically a really detailed outline.

- I learn the same lessons year after year. I really need to pay attention to my inner writer!

If you want to see how my November progressed on Twitter, I've captured the tweets on my blog.

I encourage everyone who has ever wanted to write a novel to take the National Novel Writing Month challenge. If you can't wait until November 2016, the same organization runs Camp NaNoWriMo in April and July. Your voice needs to be heard and your characters need to come to life!


About the Author

Regina Kammer is a librarian, an art historian, and an award-nominated, best-selling, multi-published writer of erotica and historical erotic romance. Her short stories and novels make history sexier, whether the era is Roman, Byzantine, Viking, American Revolution, or Victorian. She’s even sexed up contemporary settings, Steampunk, and Greco-Roman mythology. She has been published by Cleis Press, Go Deeper Press, Ellora’s Cave, House of Erotica, Story Ink, The Naughty Literati, and her own imprint, Viridium Press. She began writing historical fiction with romantic elements during National Novel Writing Month 2006, switching to erotica when all her characters suddenly demanded to have sex.
Keep up with Regina on her website
Follow her on Twitter @Kammerotica
Like her on Facebook
Connect with her on Goodreads
See what’s new on her Amazon Author Page

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

NAUGHTY CHANCES - Available Now!

Naughty Chances

Take A Chance On Romance

Available Now!


Get your copy from Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0154ZXU5W

including Fantasy, Futuristic, Historical, Holiday, M/M, M/M/F, Military, Paranormal, & Shape-shifter from Amazon best selling authors


Sophie’s Christmas Gargoyle ~ Katherine Kingston
When Sophie helps rescue a battered woman, she gets more than one surprise from the woman’s other self-appointed protector.


 Winter Interlude: An American Revolutionary Novelette ~ Regina Kammer
On a cold winter’s night in 1778, two patriot soldiers recall their first sensual encounter and ponder their future together with the women they love.


 Hybrid Mates: Your One And Only ~ Nicole Austin
My day from hell took a delightful turn when I woke up naked next to the most gorgeous man. But he’d bitten me and claimed I was his mate. Oh my!


 Take A Chance ~ Alexa Silver
Hunter and Lani never expect to find love from a near tragedy.


 The Moon Maiden’s Mate ~ Suz deMello
Luna, 2114… A reluctant Shayna must travel to remote Farside Colony to meet her chosen mate.
*previously published as First and Last*


 Perfectly Presented ~ Berengaria Brown
Blake sees Xavier agonizing over unclaimed gift tags for poor children on the holiday tree. Will Blake tell Xavier about his past and his problem?


 The NightWind’s Gamble ~ Charlotte Boyett-Compo
In the Readem and Reap casino on the edge of the Megaverse, Nightwind Ardian Cree may lose his life-mate with the draw of a card. Will luck be on his side or will he lose everything he holds dear?

Monday, November 30, 2015

Excerpt From THE NIGHTWIND'S GAMBLE by Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Part of the NAUGHTY CHANCES boxed-set, available for download December 1st

Click here to pre-order now from Amazon http://amzn.to/1YhHGPX
 

Blurb: In the Readem and Reap casino on the edge of the Megaverse, Nightwind Ardian Cree may lose his life-mate with the draw of a card. Will luck be on his side or will he lose everything he holds dear?

Genre/theme: Paranormal, Shape-shifter

Copyright ©Charlotte Boyett-Compo, 2015

Excerpt: 

Ardian ran his hand through his hair as he paced. His lady had gone into the bathroom to take a shower. The sweet smell of the an Tuirc tobacco many of the patrons in the casino smoked from hookahs clung to her clothing and had given her a bad headache. He could hear the shower going and thought of joining her.

He may demand you hand over what is yours to him.’

The memory of those words stopped him from following her into the shower.

A low growl rumbled from his throat. He went to the porthole and activated the shutter that covered the plexigon to keep out the bright sun. Staring out at the wide vista of swaying palm trees, sparkling white sands and gently crashing waves, it was hard to imagine any kind of calamity looming on the horizon. People were running along the beach, tossing flying disks to one another, playing volleyball, lounging on towels after a brisk swim in the azure water—all perfectly content that everything was right in their worlds. They were at the resort to have fun, to relax, to leave their troubles behind. Not a one of them expected those troubles to come looking for them.

As his might be coming to find him.

Cursing, he spun away from the window.

Why hadn’t he answered the Prime’s summons when it came? he wondered. He’d heard the low, insistent whistle that night but he’d ignored it. The trip to the resort would be the very next morning. Boarding passes on the Fiach bound for Lycana were in his overnight bag. All the pertinent bloodwork and DNA samples had been taken by the Healer on Margeaux’s home world. Their heat sigs had been read and forwarded to Lycana. They had been approved and their travel visas issued. All was in readiness. The only thing left to do was pack and board and flee the harsh winter that had brought her world almost to a standstill.

The summons had come while he lay in bed beside his life-mate. It had wound through his head like a deadly ghoret and struck hard before he willed it away.

“Not now,” he’d said with a fierce growl.

Margeaux was more important to him than anything else and her happiness was his happiness.

It had taken him months—months—to coax her from her house and into the yard. Severely agoraphobic, it had taken even more months to get her to venture into the closest town for less than an hour. With him at her side, the fear and incapacitation she had known, that had crippled her, slowly dwindled until she was almost at ease in the world beyond her little house. When the day came that she asked him to take her off-world, he had known an elation more wonderful than when he had been released from the Abyss. Nothing would stop him from giving her the vacation she’d asked for. That was all that mattered to him. The Nightwind Prime could just hold his water until they returned to her home world.

Slumping down on the sofa in the sitting area of their suite, he dropped his head into his hands, grabbed handfuls of his hair and squeezed his eyes shut. If the Prime came to the resort and found him there, Ardian had no doubt hell would be rained down on his head. Syntian Cree had a reputation for being a badass of the highest order. His incarceration in the Abyss—having been sent there by the very woman he loved—had turned him into a monster of legend among the Mealladhs. The demon had developed a perpetual hardon for things that pissed him off.

So engrossed in his own misery, he didn’t hear his lady come into the room until she spoke.

“Did I tell you I saw a coven mate of mine at the spa this morning?” Margeaux asked as she came into the sitting room.

He lifted his head. “What?”

A part of him stirred at seeing her wrapped in a semi-wet towel as she blotted at her wet hair with another towel. With her head tilted to one side, she was absolutely adorable—like an inquisitive kitten. His body hardened as he swept his gaze down her shapely bare legs. Her bare feet never failed to arouse him, and he had to force himself to look away from the bright red toenail polish she wore.

“Her name is Annaliese,” she said. “We took our tenth degree adept training together.”

“That’s nice,” he mumbled.

“She teaches at a private school for girls on Amhantar and will be here her entire summer vacation.”

“Good for her,” he said although he couldn’t have cared less.

“I hope she finds someone to hang with,” she said as she rubbed her hair dry with the towel.“

"Someone of the male persuasion.”

The towel clung to her ripe curves in such an enticing way all thoughts save one evaporated from his mind. He straightened and leaned back on the sofa.

“Come here, milady,” he said in a deep, husky tone that made her arch a brow.

She gave him a coy look.

“And if I don’t?” she asked.

He knew his slow smile did delicious things to her lower body—she’d told him as much—so he bestowed his slowest, most promising one upon her.

“I’ll come get you,” he stated. He patted his knee twice. “Now come here.”

Her answering smile took his breath away as she dropped the towel in her hand and came over to crawl into his lap. Her weight was so minimal he barely felt it settle on his legs but his cock felt her thigh pressing against it so that his entire body became aware of her. He wrapped his arms around her and she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Feeling better?” he asked. He loved the gardenia smell of the body wash that clung to her flawless skin, and the dampness of her curls tickling the side of his neck sent spirals of desire racing through his bloodstream. He could just make out the swell of her lovely breasts over the edge of the towel in which she had wrapped herself.

“You don’t believe what the Gravelord said about that card, do you?” she asked. Her fingers were toying with the button on his shirt.

“Of course, not,” he said.

That wasn’t true but he wanted to alleviate her worries, not underscore them.

“What if he does come?” she asked.

“He won’t,” he said, tightening his arms around her protectively. “The Prime has more important matters at hand than visiting a resort. If Syntian Cree were to ever take a holiday, the Megaverse might well implode.”

“Still…” she said.

He crooked a finger under her chin to lift her face so he could look into her beautiful eyes. He searched those gentle orbs, hurt that unease was registering there.

“Stop worrying,” he said then bent his head to kiss the tip of her nose.

“I can’t lose you, Ardy,” she said. The worry that put a quiver in her voice angered him.

“You aren’t going to, dearling,” he stated. “So let’s get your mind off doing so.”

He slid his hand from her chin to the top of the towel where it was tucked tightly against her chest and pulled it from its nesting place. The towel parted to reveal the soft flesh and full bosom that never failed to inspire him.

“What do we have here?” he asked as he ran his palm inside the fold to cover one breast.

“Has something caught your eye, milord?” she countered.

“Aye,” he replied. “Something that looks very tasty.”

He moved the arm behind her back to lean her gently over it so he could lower his mouth to the taunting nipple of the breast around which his palm was molded. The moment he drew the nubbin between his lips, his lady sighed and closed her eyes—her body going limp in his hold. She threaded her fingers through his hair to hold him to her.

Swirling his tongue over the peak, he could feel the nipple swelling, hardening beneath his touch. He lightly clamped the straining tip between his teeth and a shudder rippled down Margeaux’s body. When it did, he released his grip on her breast to glide his hand down her ribcage then lower to the spiky curls at the juncture of her thighs.

“Ardian,” she whispered, her head falling back in surrender.

Very slowly, he rubbed her mound with his palm. Let his fingertips slide fleetingly over her clit with every circuit until she was writhing in his lap—her sweet rump grinding against his groin. Her thighs fell apart. A low moan came from deep within her throat.

He smiled, for he knew all the right places to touch her. How those places should be touched, when and with the correct amount of pressure and time spent stroking them. With infinite care, he spread his index and middle finger to spike them into the valleys on both sides of labia. With even more care, he dragged them up again but this time spreading her nether lips farther apart. Down again and when he drew his fingers up once more, he allowed her to feel the light scrape of his short fingernails on her flesh.

“Ardy!” she called out with a hiss.

She liked that. How well he knew she liked that.

Lifting his middle finger, he replaced it with his ring finger—holding his middle one away from her as he began the slow descent down the valleys again. When he pulled his hand up, he pressed the elevated digit into the sweet channel where his cock was aching to be.

She wiggled against that gentle invasion until he sank his finger inside her. Another low, satisfied moan left her lips and he began a slow press and withdraw, press and withdraw that soon had her wetting his flesh with each insertion.

“That feel good?” he asked.

“Aye,” she said with a groan. “But I know something that would feel even better."

Sunday, November 29, 2015

The Big Bad Wolf’s Naughty Appetites by Belle Scarlett #shifter #romance #recipes http://tinyurl.com/jkuz8gm

Once upon a moonlit night in late October in the Enchanted Forest where cursed beings are consigned until the spells that bind them are broken…

Thus opens the first title of my Enchanted Lovers series, The Woodsman, an adult-style fairy-tale in which the Big Bad Wolf is the winner.

Now available on Amazon ~ #99cents
After he captures Lady Lily Rouge's carriage, Sir Marrok Ulfang, aka the biggest, baddest wolf the Enchanted Forest has ever seen, has only one day to win her heart and claim her first sexual surrender. Even if it means giving the nosey pixies fluttering outside his cottage window an eyeful. 

Otherwise, a wolf shape-shifter he'll stay, damned to remain in the lonely Enchanted Forest forever.

But while he can arouse her virginal body to fever pitch, he quickly learns that his spirited, saucy Lily has a mind and will of her own.

And the daylight is fading fast.

Meanwhile, the one who cursed Marrok lurks in the forest and will fight to keep the couple from leaving together alive.

As with any male, fiery-haired Lily learns the way to a hungry wolf’s heart is through this stomach. And what would a Red Riding Hood tale be without the heroine’s trusty, well-stocked basket of goodies to sustain her on her journey through a magical wood?

Lily returned her attention to the carriage window and scanned the inhospitable night. Nothing moved outside. Now was her chance.
She took a deep breath and tried to open the carriage door. Fear made her stiff, chilled fingers clumsy as she fumbled with the handle. She needed something to stop her hands from shaking. She glanced around at the stacked pieces of baggage and plucked a flask of wine she spied poking through the opening of a lidded, woven basket that Cook had packed for her journey.
Undoing the stopper, she tipped a healthy swallow down her throat. Dull warmth spread through her and burned her cheeks. All at once, she could not quite recall why she had been so frightened a moment ago. Tucking her liquid courage back into the food hamper that dangled from her elbow, Lily muttered an unladylike “Merde” and alighted from the carriage.

With the temperatures growing nippy outside, here’s a recipe for “Lily’s Liquid Courage” ~ otherwise known as Warm Spiced Wine:





Ingredients

6 whole cloves
1 orange, quartered
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup brandy
6 tablespoons sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
2 bottles cabernet sauvignon

Preparation

Press cloves into the peel of quartered orange.
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat (but do not boil).
Reduce heat to low, cook 30 minutes.
Remove orange and cinnamon.
Pour into festive glass mugs.

Garnish with a cinnamon stick and/or orange slices.

Serving size is ½ cup: yields 12 servings

Note: You can make this more boozy if you like ~ it all just depends whether your inner-wolf is feeling naughty or nice.

So now that we're all feeling really relaxed after a nip or two of that howling good drink... 

Here’s another hearty taste of The Woodman (see what I did there?)

All during her trek through the wood, Lily had kept a death grip on the food hamper. It was the only connection to the civilized life she had known mere hours ago. Now, as delayed reaction set in, she unsteadily opened the basket and uncorked the wine bottle for another bracing swig. Then two more gulps. Fresh warmth doused her insides, relaxing her jangled nerves.
Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she glanced out the window. Her wolf promptly curled up in front of the threshold and appeared to sleep.
For want of anything else to do, Lily turned to survey her surroundings. The fireplace hearth glowed softly with a few dying embers from a cook fire that must have been lit early in the day. A pot with the congealed remnants of a venison stew hung on the spit hook.

If you’re a carnivore, a piping bowl of the Big Bad Wolf’s Venison Stew with some homemade crusty bread on a cold day will soothe the savage beast.  (On the other hand, if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, look away… Look away now!)




Note: This dish has a lot of ingredients but so worth it and it’s not that labor intensive once you’ve gathered all the goodies together.

This can be made with shorter cook time in a cast iron Dutch oven, but I love tossing all the ingredients into my slow cooker and letting it have its delicious way with the tender succulent chunks of stew meat and veggies.

This hearty stew is comforting and so satisfying after a day spent playing out of doors in the cold.  You can substitute elk or beef stew meat if you can’t find venison or still think of it as “Bambi’s Mom” (!) as one of my nieces refers to deer meat.

Ingredients

2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled Yukon gold potatoes (or red)
2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup (1-inch) cubed onion
1 cup (1-inch-thick) slices celery
1 cup (1-inch-thick) slices carrot
1/3 cup tomato paste
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound venison tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup brown ale (such as Newcastle)
1 (14-ounce) can less-sodium beef broth

Preparation
Layer first 14 ingredients in an electric slow cooker, placing the food that takes the longest to cook on bottom.
Combine flour, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish; dredge venison in flour mixture.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add venison.
Cook 4 minutes or until browned on all sides, turning frequently.  Work in batches if necessary.
Add venison to slow cooker.
Pour beer and broth over venison.
Cover and cook on low 7 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
Remove and discard bay leaf.
If you and your wolf pack don’t gobble this all down, you can freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months. When re-heating just add in a little more water or beer.
Serving size is about 1 1/2 cups; yields 6 servings.


I hope you enjoy these seasonal goodies from Lady Lily’s basket! 

Speaking of treats, treat yourself to The Woodsman today!  The ebook is available now on Amazon ~ see the trailer:


Here’s the 1st chapter listen from the Audible version is coming in December!:





"...a first rate romantic fairytale - adult style... With keen wit and good humor Ms. Scarlett presents a delectable tale..."
– Alternative Read

"...an erotic version of Little Red Riding Hood in which the wolf is the winner."
– Eye on Romance

“beautifully written… powerful and exciting.”
– Review at ParaNormalRomance.org

“…masterfully written…The love scenes are H.O.T…”
– Manicreaders.com

“…set in an interesting world… a fun short read.”
– Bittenbybooks.com

“…red hot… sexy and fun…This is one very good read.”
– Coffeetimeromance.com



Enjoy all your winter feasts!

Happily Ever After,


(Thanks to CookingLight.com and MyRecipes.com for inspiring the above deliciousness in my cooking hearth and now, hopefully, yours!)